Movies like Hard Times (1930)
The best movies like Hard Times (1930) are Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004), Come Sunday (2018) and Jungleland (2020). If Hard Times hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedModern Times (1936)8.3/10 from 4,262 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseKnuckle Girl (2023)Also in Japanese
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisJungleland (2020)
Stanley manages his boxer brother Lion but when a devastating loss in the ring leaves the pair in debt, an opportunity to recoup the cash leads to a series of misadventures that threaten to break the bond between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cut (2025)
A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal weight-cutting program.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe River (1984)
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWon't Back Down (2012)
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkin (2009)
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003)
After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl Chicano (2019)
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKnuckle Girl (2023)
Following the story of Ran, who confronts a mysterious organization by participating in a no-rules deathmatch after discovering her missing younger sister Yuzuki is involved in a crime. With danger at every corner, Ran must trade in her boxing gloves for brass knuckles. Will she save her sister?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome Run (2013)
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Chips (1994)
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRogue Agent (2022)
Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisModern Times (1936)
A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Kid (1921)
A tramp cares for a boy after he's abandoned as a newborn by his mother. Later the mother has a change of heart and aches to be reunited with her son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJoe Finds Grace (2017)
Simple-minded Joseph Briteman breaks a golden rule of his 'life skills' program when he walks away unsupervised to rescue his long lost baby sister.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
After being dumped by her lover, Pepa finds her life and the lives of those around her spiraling out of control in a deliciously chaotic series of events.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWiseguys (2022)
Frankie Carbonara rises to the top of the Hurst College underworld by selling booze and running a speakeasy, however, the villain Pyle is not happy about his business being interfered with. The two gangsters clash, and it comes to a tragic conclusion of all out war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mixed Nuts (1994)
The events of a crisis hotline business on one crazy night during the Christmas holidays.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisDon't Put Your Dreams Away! (2025)
An egotistical Frank Sinatra impersonator hopes to make it big time, but nothing seems to go his way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Better Brother (2024)
With their mother on her deathbed, George and Arthur quickly descend into chaos as they compete for the inheritance. The brothers will do anything to gain their mother's attention as family ties become inconsequential in this short student comedy film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Pig's Tale (1994)
Kids' comedy with all the clichés. Six boys (hero, pudgy, dumb, romeo, etc), reluctantly sent to summer camp, are grouped together in a ramshackle hut, and instantly identified as losers and outcasts by the overconfident camp bullies, who target gorgeous Tiffany (Jakub) as their Lothario's girlfriend. They set out to make everyone's life miserable as they impose their authority on the other kids and ineffective counselors alike. Andy, the good-guy hero, of course has a crush on Tiffany, but hasn't a clue how to approach her. Gradually, the nice guys gain the edge over the bullies, by honest endeavor and standing up for themselves - and in doing so, win over the other kids, even Tiffany. Until the bullies frame them and have them expelled.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Threads (2026)
In a non-linear portrait of youth, the lives of several teenagers dealing with heartbreak, loneliness, and identity gradually intertwine, revealing how the smallest moments can change the direction of a life. As their seemingly separate lives begin to intersect, the film explores how small moments and connections shape the emotional reality of teenage life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hard Times?
The closest matches to Hard Times are Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004), Come Sunday (2018) and Jungleland (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hard Times?
Start with Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004), the closest match to Hard Times.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hard Times?
Modern Times (1936), rated 8.3/10 by 4,262 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hard Times?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Hard Times?
Yes: Knuckle Girl (2023).
How are movies similar to Hard Times chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hard Times, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.